U.S. patent application number 12/914925 was filed with the patent office on 2011-04-28 for navigation images.
This patent application is currently assigned to Google Inc.. Invention is credited to Harlan Hile, Keith Ito, Michael Siliski.
Application Number | 20110098918 12/914925 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43414300 |
Filed Date | 2011-04-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110098918 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Siliski; Michael ; et
al. |
April 28, 2011 |
Navigation Images
Abstract
A computer-implemented navigational method includes
transmitting, from a mobile computing device to a computer server
system, data that can be used to determine a start point and an end
point of a trip. The method also includes receiving navigational
information defining a route between the start point and the end
point, and a plurality of digital photographic images that have
previously been taken along the route, sensing motion of the mobile
computing device along the route, and displaying updated images
from the plurality of images that substantially match a geographic
position of the mobile computing device along the route.
Inventors: |
Siliski; Michael; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Ito; Keith; (Seattle, WA) ;
Hile; Harlan; (Seattle, WA) |
Assignee: |
Google Inc.
|
Family ID: |
43414300 |
Appl. No.: |
12/914925 |
Filed: |
October 28, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61255847 |
Oct 28, 2009 |
|
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
701/533 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01C 21/362 20130101;
G06F 1/266 20130101; H04M 1/72454 20210101; G01C 21/265 20130101;
G01C 21/367 20130101; G06F 1/1632 20130101; G06F 1/3265 20130101;
G06F 16/638 20190101; H04M 1/72457 20210101; G06F 1/329 20130101;
G06F 2200/1614 20130101; G06F 16/444 20190101; H04M 1/72415
20210101; G01C 21/3661 20130101; H04M 2250/74 20130101; H04M 1/04
20130101; H04M 2250/02 20130101; Y02D 10/00 20180101; G06F 1/1626
20130101; G01C 21/3608 20130101; H04M 1/72412 20210101 |
Class at
Publication: |
701/201 ;
701/200 |
International
Class: |
G01C 21/36 20060101
G01C021/36 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented navigational method, comprising:
transmitting, from a mobile computing device to a computer server
system, data that can be used to determine a start point and an end
point of a trip; receiving navigational information defining a
route between the start point and the end point, and a plurality of
digital photographic images that have previously been taken along
the route; sensing motion of the mobile computing device along the
route; and displaying updated images from the plurality of images
that substantially match a geographic position of the mobile
computing device along the route.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the updated images
comprises displaying images from a position that is a determined
distance in front of a direction of travel for the mobile computing
device, so that a user of the mobile computing device is given a
preview of the route ahead.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying map or
satellite images of an area around the mobile computing device, and
changing a zoom level based upon a current traveling speed of the
mobile computing device.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the zoom level is closer when the
mobile computing device is moving slower, and the zoom level is
farther when the mobile computing device is moving faster.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising switching from a map
or satellite view to a street level photographic view based on a
proximity of the mobile computing device to the start point or end
point, or based on an observed current speed of the mobile
computing device.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the images show a view forward
along the route when the mobile computing device is far from the
end point, and the images show a view to a side of the route when
the mobile computing device is near to the end point.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the images show a view forward
along the route when the mobile computing device is far from the
end point, and the images show a view to a side of the route when
the mobile computing device is near to the end point.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transitioning between
prior and subsequent images along the route using a blurred
transitioning technique so as to simulate forward motion in the
display of the images.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising caching the images on
the mobile computing device for later display as the mobile
computing device moves along the route.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein substantially all of the images
for a route are transmitted from the computer server system to the
mobile computing device before motion of the mobile computing
device along the route is sensed.
11. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon,
instructions that when executed performed operations comprising:
transmitting, from a mobile computing device to a computer server
system, data that can be used to determine a start point and an end
point of a trip; receiving navigational information defining a
route between the start point and the end point, and a plurality of
digital photographic images that have previously been taken along
the route; sensing motion of the mobile computing device along the
route; and displaying updated images from the plurality of images
that substantially match a geographic position of the mobile
computing device along the route.
12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein
displaying the updated images comprises displaying images from a
position that is a determined distance in front of a direction of
travel for the mobile computing device, so that a user of the
mobile computing device is given a preview of the route ahead.
13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the
operations further comprise displaying map or satellite images of
an area around the mobile computing device, and changing a zoom
level based upon a current traveling speed of the mobile computing
device.
14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, where in the
zoom level is closer when the mobile computing device is moving
slower, and the zoom level is farther when the mobile computing
device is moving faster.
15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further
comprising switching from a map or satellite view to a street level
photographic view based on a proximity of the mobile computing
device to the start point or end point, or based on an observed
current speed of the mobile computing device.
16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the
operations further comprise caching the images on the mobile
computing device for later display as the mobile computing device
moves along the route.
17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein
substantially all of the images for a route are transmitted from
the computer server system to the mobile computing device before
motion of the mobile computing device along the route is
sensed.
18. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving at a
computer server system, from a navigational computing device, a
request that includes information identifying geographical
locations for a navigational trip; determining a route for the
navigational trip, the route extending from a start location to a
destination location; generating navigation data for a plurality of
points along a path defined by the route; fetching a plurality of
pre-captured photographic images taken substantially along the path
defined by the route; and transmitting the navigation data and the
plurality of pre-captured images to the navigational computing
device.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of pre-captured
photographic images comprise digital street level photographs of
the path.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein a pre-captured images for the
entire route are transferred before a user navigates the route, for
caching on the navigational computing device.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 61/255,847, filed on Oct. 28, 2009, entitled
"Search, Navigation, and Docking with a Mobile Computing Device,"
the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by
reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This document relates to actions that may be taken by or
with a mobile computing device such as a smartphone, including by
controlling a navigation application using voice inputs.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Mobile communication devices allow users to make telephone
calls, receive email, browse the World Wide Web, listen to audio
content, and view video content. Such devices have gotten more
powerful over the years, to the point where they can now execute
various custom, downloaded applications for a variety of needs.
Many of the applications are very sophisticated and may access
server-based data automatically while they are running so as to
provide a rich user experience.
[0004] The number and type of sensors on smartphones has so
proliferated in recent years. Many such devices now have electronic
compasses, accelerometers, GPS units, cameras, proximity sensors,
and other such sensors. These sensors can be used in a variety of
manners, such as to determine a user's location with a GPS unit,
and the user's orientation with a compass unit, and then to provide
a compass-based GOOGLE STREETVIEW around the user. Other
applications can provide basic turn-by-turn navigation in response
to a user's provision of an address to a device. Also, dedicated
navigation units permit a user to type in a destination address and
to have turn-by-turn directions provided between the user's current
location and the destination address.
SUMMARY
[0005] This document describes systems and techniques for
conducting search (and particularly voice search) and navigation
(including voice-based navigation) on a mobile computing device,
and for performing actions associated with docking of a mobile
computing device. In certain examples, a user can speak the name of
a venue where they would like to travel, perhaps preceded by a
control term, carrier phrase, or trigger term, such as "navigate
to," and may have navigation instructions prepared automatically so
that the computing device into which they spoke the destination
name will automatically give them turn-by-turn directions
(including with spoken directions, e.g., "turn right in 300 feet")
from their current geographic location to the spoken venue. The
spoken input may be transmitted by the device to a remote server
system, which may identify the presence of the control term, and
then use the presence of the control term in order to determine how
to handle the rest of the spoken input or query. For example, the
control term "navigate to" may cause the system to enter a textual
version of the rest of the query to a local search engine, and may
use the results to identify an address for the destination venue,
and then in turn may determine a lat/long pair or other identifier
that can be used as an endpoint for navigation directions (along
with the current location of the user and their device, determined,
e.g., using GPS functionality on the device). Such geographic
location information may then be supplied to a further component of
the system as an endpoint for a route, and the further component (a
navigation engine) may provide navigation information back to a
user of a mobile device. Such information may include data required
to draw a standard route along a navigable route, to animate the
path along the route as the user drives, such as with a moving dot
over a map, with digital photographic images of the actual area
along that route that has been previously captured by cars or other
vehicles driving the route.
[0006] Navigation applications also can provide a presentation of
navigation information in response to natural language queries from
a user that do not include a location name. For example, a user
can, instead of submitting the name of a point of interest, such as
the name of a museum, request to be given directions to the "museum
that is currently holding a Picasso exhibition." To generate
endpoints for such a navigable route, a system may submit terms
such as "museum currently holding Picasso exhibition" to a local
search engine (e.g., using a public API for submitting queries),
along with an indication of the user's current location. The search
engine may then, according to its standard mode of operation,
return various search results that are in the relevant area and
responsive to the query. The system may then parse the search
results, such as parsing landing pages that the search results
point to, to identify geographic locations listed on he pages, such
as addresses of museums. As one example, a top result may be the
home page for the Hirshhorn Museum, and that page can be parse for
text that matches a format for an address, or can be searched for a
further link such as "directions" or "contact us," and the target
page may then be parsed to obtain address information that can then
be converted to lat/long coordinates. Also, once the venue name is
identified from the search results, it may be submitted to a
structured database, such as a yellow pages or similar database
that correlates business or venue names to addresses and telephone
numbers.
[0007] The user's mobile device may also be programmed to listen
for particular control terms even if the mobile device does not
perform the speech-to-text conversion on the queries. The device
may thus determine which server system to send the rest of the
audio spoken query to, and to select the categories of meta data to
send with the query. In this manner, "listening" by a device may be
only local, so that information spoken by a user goes to a server
system only when the user affirmatively speaks a relevant control
term. When the device listens in this manner, it may also be
hashing the input so as to preserve more privacy for the user, and
may compare the hashed input to a pre-saved hashed version of the
control term. In addition, the listening may be confined to the
computing device in certain circumstances, and not shared with a
separate server system. Moreover, a user may be required to press
an on-screen icon on the device (such as a microphone) before the
device will listen for speech input.
[0008] The words that the user speaks after those control terms may
be supplied to the search engine as arguments for the relevant
action that relates to the control terms. Other control terms may
also be predefined for a system (e.g., by developers of an
operating system for a device), or third parties may provide their
own control terms that will be listened for by the system,
according to an API that has been defined for such submissions.
Third parties may also provide information for a syntax related to
their control terms that may be used by the system to parse user
input that is received along with the relevant control terms. As
one example, a media player application may register the control
term "listen to," along with a syntax that indicates that terms
coming after the control term should be searched first, in tracks
of music stored on the device, and second in the names of musical
groups on the device. In addition, the grammar that is used to
convert the remainder of a spoken input into text may be selected
based on the control term that begins an input.
[0009] Various navigation output techniques are also described
below. For example, navigation may be provided visually (and with
audio prompts) using standard maps and also using aerial or
satellite views, where the views may be modified slightly to make
it appear as if they have been rotated forward away from the user
to generate a three-dimensional effect on a user display.
Additionally, or alternatively, street-level photographs that
roughly correspond to a current location geographically of a user
may be displayed to the user. A transition may be made
automatically between map or satellite views on the one hand, and
street-level views on the other, such as based on a speed of the
user or a proximity of the user to an end point of a route. For
example, a user may be shown street-level views when they slow
down, under the assumption that they will be able to digest the
street-level image data better at slower speeds. In addition, a
user may be shown street-level images when they get closer to a
endpoint, under the assumption that they will be looking carefully
for their destination at such a point.
[0010] In addition, the angle of view for street-level views may
change as the user approaches the end point. In particular, the
angle of view may be forward down the road along most of the route,
but may turn to the side of the road as the user approaches the end
point, so that the user can more readily see buildings on the sides
of the road to determine that they (the user) are at a right
location. A view display to a user may be made up of multiple
images, such as images previously captured at the location where
the user is now at, and may be stitched together and distorted so
as to emphasize certain areas, such as to fit a 180 degree front
panorama on the user's display, to compress the image in front of
the user, and to not compress the images to each side of the used
(when the user is driving slowly), or to leave the forward-facing
image uncompressed visually (when the user is driving faster).
[0011] In another navigation implementation, a mobile device may
download and cache all of the street level images when a trip is
first started, and may include local code for transitioning the
images as the user moves, so that if the device's connection with a
network is broken, the device can continue to show images all the
way to the destination.
[0012] In one implementation, a computer-implemented navigational
method is disclosed that comprises transmitting, from a mobile
computing device to a computer server system, data that can be used
to determine a start point and an end point of a trip; receiving
navigational information defining a route between the start point
and the end point, and a plurality of digital photographic images
that have previously been taken along the route; sensing motion of
the mobile computing device along the route; and displaying updated
images from the plurality of images that substantially match a
geographic position of the mobile computing device along the route.
Displaying the updated images can comprise displaying images from a
position that is a determined distance in front of a direction of
travel for the mobile computing device, so that a user of the
mobile computing device is given a preview of the route ahead. The
method can also include displaying map or satellite images of an
area around the mobile computing device, and changing a zoom level
based upon a current traveling speed of the mobile computing
device. The method may execute so that the zoom level is closer
when the mobile computing device is moving slower, and the zoom
level is farther when the mobile computing device is moving faster.
Also, the method can include switching from a map or satellite view
to a street level photographic view based on a proximity of the
mobile computing device to the start point or end point, or based
on an observed current speed of the mobile computing device. The
images can show a view forward along the route when the mobile
computing device is far from the end point, and a view to a side of
the route when the mobile computing device is near to the end
point.
[0013] In certain aspects, the images show a view forward along the
route when the mobile computing device is far from the end point,
and a view to a side of the route when the mobile computing device
is near to the end point. The method can also comprise
transitioning between prior and subsequent images along the route
using a blurred transitioning technique so as to simulate forward
motion in the display of the images. In addition, the method can
comprise caching the images on the mobile computing device for
later display as the mobile computing device moves along the route.
Substantially all of the images for a route can be transmitted from
the computer server system to the mobile computing device before
motion of the mobile computing device along the route is
sensed.
[0014] In yet another implementations, a computer-readable storage
medium is disclosed that has stored thereon, instructions that when
executed performed a number of operations. The operations includes
transmitting, from a mobile computing device to a computer server
system, data that can be used to determine a start point and an end
point of a trip; receiving navigational information defining a
route between the start point and the end point, and a plurality of
digital photographic images that have previously been taken along
the route; sensing motion of the mobile computing device along the
route; and displaying updated images from the plurality of images
that substantially match a geographic position of the mobile
computing device along the route.
[0015] In another implementation, a computer-implemented method is
disclosed that comprises receiving at a computer server system,
from a navigational computing device, a request that includes
information identifying geographical locations for a navigational
trip; determining a route for the navigational trip, the route
extending from a start location to a destination location;
generating navigation data for a plurality of points along a path
defined by the route; fetching a plurality of pre-captured
photographic images taken substantially along the path defined by
the route; and transmitting the navigation data and the plurality
of pre-captured images to the navigational computing device. The
plurality of images can be pre-captured photographic images
comprise digital street level photographs of the path. Also the
pre-captured images for the entire route can be transferred before
a user navigates the route, for caching on the navigational
computing device.
[0016] The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the
accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and
advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and
from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a conceptual flow of information in a
navigation system that responds to spoken natural language queries
and provides street level imaging for navigation.
[0018] FIG. 2A shows a music docking system and a mobile computing
device in the form of a touchscreen smartphone.
[0019] FIG. 2B shows a schematic diagram of a docked mobile
computing device.
[0020] FIG. 3 shows an example car dock for a mobile computing
device.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a system for providing
navigation information to a user of a mobile device.
[0022] FIGS. 5A-5D are flow charts of navigation-related processes
for performance on a smartphone or similar computing device.
[0023] FIGS. 6A-6E show example screen shots of a smartphone-based
navigation application.
[0024] FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a system that may be used
to implement the systems and methods described in this
document.
[0025] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of computing devices that may be
used to implement the systems and methods described in this
document, as either a client or as a server or plurality of
servers.
[0026] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like
elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] This document describes systems and techniques for providing
navigational assistance (e.g., driving directions), including in
response to spoken queries, and using various graphical techniques.
The spoken input may be preceded by a carrier phrase and may
include non-traditional content, such as a phrase that does not
include an address or name of a location or venue--e.g.,
"Directions to a nearby coffee shop." Audio of some or all of the
spoken input may be transmitted to a server system that is remote
from the computing device on which the input was received, and the
server system may convert the audio to text, generate results to a
query in the spoken input, and then further perform operations to
provide the computing device with program code that is not simply a
search result for the input. For example, the example query may be
parsed to generate a query of "coffee shop," and the term "nearby"
may be used as meta data to ranked results for the search so that
closest shops rank more highly.
[0028] A landing page for the best result may then be accessed
(e.g., by accessing a DOM for the page) and location-related
information such as addresses may be identified and parsed from it.
The location-related information may then be used to look up a
lat/long pair, and to then infer a location for the result that the
user intended. The system may then pass information or begin
passing information for the generation and continuation of a
turn-by-turn navigation application on the computing device, so
that as the device reports in new geographic locations, the device
may be caused to update a map or other view and to generated verbal
driving directions.
[0029] The search by a central system may also generate a variety
of search results, which may be displayed normally in the form of
snippets that point to landing pages, which are the actual webpages
that a user may go to in response to seeing search results and
clicking on one of the results. In this example, the system may
parse the landing pages, or the landing pages may have previously
been parsed, to identify an address or other location information
associated with the landing page. Various mechanisms may be used to
determine if an adequate level of certainty for a result has been
met before returning information to a user, and ultimately the
address information may be provided to a navigation application as
an endpoint for a route for the user. In other examples, where
there are multiple search results and corresponding locations, the
user may be presented with a list of the results, along with their
addresses, and the user may select one of the results as an
endpoint for navigation route. Thus, for example, the provision of
navigation information to a user may be made an user-selectable
option for search results for which the system was able to
determine a geographical address, such as by placing a "navigate to
this result" or similar link with the particular result in a list
of results.
[0030] When a user determines to receive navigation directions, the
particular presentation on the device may take the form of a map on
which a moving dot is displayed that represents the current
location of the computing device, in coordination with the user's
motion along a predetermined path between two points. A map or
similar cartoonish representation may be provided to show the route
between points, and a user's progress may be indicated such as by
placing an icon at the center of the screen that represents user
movement with the device and vehicle.
[0031] In examples here, such presentations may be made, and it may
also be supplemented with satellite views of an area and
street-level views of the area around the user as they navigate, or
an area ahead of the user a sufficient distance so that the user
can be given a preview of where they are heading along the path.
Thus, for example a user may visually identify information for a
trip, and a central system may identify a starting point for the
trip, and then compute a path between the starting point and the
ending point, where the starting point is typically the current
location of the user. The system may then download information that
is needed to provide a traditional display of navigation
information for the user (e.g., as turn-by-turn directions), and
may also download to the user's device a large plurality of digital
photographic images along the route, where the images were
previously captured by photographers who had driven along portions
of the route, such as by the well-known GOOGLE STREETVIEW
service.
[0032] Various types of information may be displayed to a user in
various ways as they move along a path. For example, the user may
manually choose to display either map information or satellite
information depending on the level of detail and screen clutter
they would like to see. The user may also drop the display of data
down to see street-level views, either manually or automatically.
Automatic transitions to or from street level may be based, for
example, on a current speed of the user or proximity of the user to
the starting or ending point. In particular, when a user is going
relatively slowly it may be preferable to show the user a street
level view, and the same is true when the user is close to a
starting or ending point. Also, a user may prefer to see a view to
the side when they are close to an end point so that they can see
the particular building they are supposed to stop in front of.
[0033] Where images along a route are provided, they may be fetched
from the server system, either all at the beginning of the trip, as
the computing device moves along a route, or in batches along the
route. The images may be smoothly transitions one-to-the-next as
the mobile device traverses a path so as to give the user a sense
that they are looking out their windshield or windows (and the
images should match what the user sees around him or her in any
event, in a manner similar to augmented reality). The system may
also transition between different display types--for example,
starting with a map view for most of a trip, but moving to a
STREETVIEW street-level image view when the user slows down or
nears a destination.
[0034] Particular implementations of the concepts discussed here
are provided with respect to each of the accompanying figures.
[0035] FIG. 1 shows a conceptual flow of information in a
navigation system that responds to spoken natural language queries
and provides overhead and street-level imaging for navigation. In
general, the system 100 receives input from a user 102 of a mobile
computing device 104, such as in the form of spoken query inputs.
The system 100 may use a server system 108 that is remote from the
device 104 and can interpret the spoken inputs to provide
information back to the device 104 for displaying a turn-by-turn
navigation application, such as from a determine the current
location for the user 102 to a location that is reflected
(implicitly or explicitly) in the spoken query that the user 102
provided.
[0036] Referring more specifically to components in the figure, the
user 102 may be an owner of the device 104 and may have previously
logged the device 104 into a user account at the server system 108
(so that the device 104 can be identified by the server system 108
on subsequent submissions), through a network such as the Internet
106. The server system 108 may include one or more servers that may
provide a variety of services, such as search, mapping, electronic
mail, and navigational aids.
[0037] The submission of a query from the device 104 to the server
system 108 is indicated by Arrow A in the figure. The submission
may be in the form of a natural language spoken query that is
preceded by a carrier phrase. For example, where the user wishes to
receive directions to a particular geographic location, the
preceding carrier phrase may be "navigate to." The remainder of the
query may include a name of a location, such as "123 Main Street"
or "Bob's Steak House," or may include information that does not
explicitly identify the locations, such as "the best steakhouse in
this town."
[0038] At the server system 108, the submission may be converted by
standard speech-to-text techniques to identify the query that
indicates the action to be taken. For example, the carrier phrase
"navigate to" may initially be identified in order to determine
what actions to take in responding to the device 104. Such action
may include determining one or more locations for the navigation,
so as to be able to generate a route and route map data to return
to the device 104.
[0039] The remainder of the spoken input (after the carrier phrase
or control words) may be used as an argument or parameter for that
action. In one example, when an explicit identifier for a location
is provided (e.g., "Bob's Steak House"), a look-up may be performed
to identify an address for that location, and then by extension
lat/long coordinates for the location. Where an explicit identifier
is not provided, the text for the query may be passed to a search
engine that is part of the server system 108, which may search
content in the search engine index 110. For example the search may
be conducted on a corpus of information for an area that is around
the current location of the user 102. Plus, for example, a current
location of the device 104 that is received in the transmission
indicated by Arrow A may be used to identify the location of the
user 102, and the remainder of the text may be used to identify and
rank search results for that location.
[0040] In the stated example for a steakhouse, one search result
may be indicated as being better than all the others because the
webpage for the associated restaurant (the landing page for the
search result) indicates that it is the best steakhouse in the
particular city, and other web pages may point to that web page and
contain similar language. Such information may cause that result to
have a higher relevance for the query than for best steakhouses in
other locales, or local web pages that do not mention best
steakhouses.
[0041] The determination of the action to be performed in response
to a spoken import, although described here as occurring on the
server system 108, may similarly occur on the device 104. At the
same time, speech-to-text conversion of the remainder of the query
may occur on the server system 108. Thus, for example, the device
104 may have a small grammar of items that it listens for, where
those items include carrier phrases that have been assigned to the
device 104 or have been added by the user 102 of the device 104.
Other such carrier phrases may include "listen to," for a user
indication that they would like a media player on the device 104 to
play a song whose title is spoken by the user after the carrier
phrase, "play," to indicate that the user would like a song or
other media file played on the device 100 for, "go to," to indicate
that the user would like a Web browser on the device 104 to
automatically navigate to a web page that best matches the name of
whatever term the user speaks after the carrier phrase, and other
appropriate carrier phrases.
[0042] Where the device 104 identifies the carrier phrase
initially, it may provide relevant metadata to the server system
108 based on its determination of the carrier phrase. For example,
where the carrier phrase is "navigate to," the device 104 may
include information that indicates a current geographic location of
the device 104 obtained from GPS functionality on the device 104.
Such metadata that may be passed in the communication indicated by
Arrow A may assist the server system 108 in preparing information
to return to device 104, to enable device 104 to display a
navigation application properly.
[0043] Referring now to the actions of the server system 108 in
providing navigation information back to device 104, when a result
has been identified, a geographic location for that result may be
determined. As one example, a landing page for a result may include
an address or a commonly labeled link (e.g., "about us,"
"directions," or "contact us") to a page that includes an address.
Such information may be parsed from the page, either at the time
the user enters the query or at a prior time (and stored in a
structured database). Alternatively, a name of a result, such as
the name of a business, may be submitted to a look-up table that
correlates venue names with locations. In this manner and others,
the server system may generate a location that corresponds to a
received query that does not include an explicit identification of
a location such as by an address or venue name.
[0044] When the server system 108 has identified a location for the
query (i.e. a destination for the navigation), it may generate a
route between the device's current location and the determined
destination location for the query. The server system 108 may then
collect map tiles 114 that are stored at the server system 108 for
providing to the device 104, and may also collect street-level
digital images 116 that were previously taken at points along the
route. In addition, the server system 108 may gather other
information, such as information 118 for generating annotations to
be overlaid on a display while a user is on the route. Such
information may include geographical information for gas stations
and other points of interest along the route, so that
user-selectable pins or other icons can be superimposed or
annotated on to a display of the route, and may be selected by the
user if they would like to learn more information about those
particular objects.
[0045] In certain implementations, a best search result for the
query entered by the user may be determined, and navigation
information may be provided to the user immediately, particularly
when the confidence that the result is correct is high. In other
implementations, a best result may be determined, and before the
server system 108 performs other operations, it may return a
description of that result (e.g., a name the steakhouse that it
determined to be the best in the area) to the device 104 so that
the user can confirm whether the system has found the destination
that the user intended. For example, if the user asks for the best
steakhouse in town, and the system selects a fast food restaurant,
the user may be shown a selectable control to see the next search
result. In certain implementations, the first result may be
displayed to the user 102 with a countdown timer of approximately 5
seconds, so that if the user 102 does not affirmatively decline the
first identified result, navigation information for that result
will automatically be delivered to the device 104 when the
countdown timer expires. As shown below for the example of device
104, when the server system 108 can provide relevant information, a
standard turn-by-turn navigation implementation may be displayed on
device 104, and may be accompanied by spoken directions generated
on the device 104.
[0046] As discussed more fully below, various implementations may
be achieved in the display of the navigation operation to a user.
For example, the provision of map tiles or other drawn items, in
addition to photographs along a route, may enable a better display
for a user of the device 104. For example, map tiles or similar
drawn representations may be shown at some points along the trip,
while photographs of a route may be shown at other locations. As
one example, photographs may be shown as users arrive at their
destination, so that they can better compare what they see in
real-life at a street-level view with what they see in their
navigation application from the street-level view, such as
storefronts.
[0047] Also, the map tiles along a route and on a reasonable
distance on each side of the route, in addition to relevant digital
images taken from street level, may be pre-cached on the device at
the time the user requests that navigation directions. The items
may then be served locally from the device 104 as the user moves
along a route. In this manner, the relevant graphical items that
are needed for the navigation application may all be stored in a
relatively small space (as compared to storing all of the data for
a large geographic area) on the device 104, and the navigation
application may continue to work even if the user 102 loses
connection to a network. Such a feature may be particularly
beneficial where network outages are common, or where a user is
making use of a device that may have WiFi or similar capabilities,
but not 3G or 4G cellular capabilities.
[0048] Using the techniques discussed here, a user of a mobile
computing device may easily receive user inputs (including spoken
inputs) for performing various operations, including generating
navigation directions, and may be provided with results that are
directed toward the particular operation they requested and at the
particular data that they requested to be processed for the
operation. The presentation of the data may be provided
automatically and may be presented in a way that is particularly
useful for a user of the device.
[0049] FIG. 2A shows a music docking system 250 and a mobile
computing device in the form of a touchscreen smartphone. This
figure shows schematically a system in which a wired electrical
connection is made upon docking the device, and the electrical
connection triggers other actions on the device to occur. In the
figure, the dock 254 takes a familiar form of an appliance that can
be plugged into a standard electrical outlet and that includes
amplifiers and speakers, among other things, and is generally a
home music dock for a mobile computing device such as a music
player or smartphone.
[0050] The actions that may be triggered include switching modes or
states of the device automatically upon docking the device or
undocking the device, including where the mode into which the
device switches depends on the type of the dock. For example, a
device may take on a particular theme or mode when it is docked
into a music-playing dock like that shown in the figure, including
by forming a BLUETOOTH link with the dock for the playing of music
over speakers in the dock. When the device is placed into a
car-related dock, in contrast, the device may take on a different
theme, including by launching a mapping or navigation application,
and also providing audio output to a speaker on the dock or forming
a BLUETOOTH connection with an audio system in the vehicle, if
there is such a system in the vehicle.
[0051] A first device state 252A of the mobile device is shown when
the device is physically connected to the dock 254, and a second
device state 252B is shown when the device has subsequently been
undocked. A charging mechanism is shown schematically in the figure
by supply voltage 260 that is provided through a physical docking
connector 258 to recharge batteries in the device and to allow the
device to operate when it is docked. The dock 254 also has a
display that can show a time, or status relating to the dock 254,
including via information that is received from the device.
[0052] FIG. 2B shows a schematic diagram of a docked mobile
computing device. In general, the schematic diagram shows various
components that may be provided on the device so as to manage the
switching of modes on the device based on the status of the device
being undocked or docked to particular types of docks.
[0053] An input manager 212 in the device manages input to the
device, including touch input to a screen on the device. The input
manager 212 may correlate such input with applications being
displayed on the device so as to allow a user of the device to
launch and interact with such applications and with components of
an operating system executing on the device. A display manager 214
coordinates with the touch manager and controls what items are
displayed in what positions, which will be shown over the top of
other items, and which will be shown as having the device's focus
at a particular time.
[0054] A connection manager 218 manages docked and wireless
connections for the device, such as in the manners discussed above.
For example, the connections manager 218 may infer a context for a
device based on the manner in which it is docked, and may notify
various applications 216 that may be run on a processor of the
device 200, including navigational applications that are discussed
more fully above and below. A power manager 208 and voltage sensor
209 cooperate to determine when a device has been plugged into a
power source, and also to determine when certain activities may
occur on a device after it has been plugged in. The device may also
determine that it has been docked, and may determine a dock type
for the dock, using electrical or magnetic connections between the
device and the dock--where the presence of connections at
particular locations represent the type of dock, or where data may
be transmitted (e.g., serially) over the connections so that the
device can interrogate the dock or otherwise determine the dock
type. Finally, various wireless interfaces 220-224 may be employed
by the device 200 in order to communicate by a variety of modes,
such as BLUETOOTH, WiFi, 3G, and other cellular connections.
[0055] FIG. 3 shows an example car dock for a mobile computing
device. In this figure, the car dock 302 includes a base 304 for
mounting the car dock 302 to a surface (e.g., a car dashboard, a
car windshield, a desk, or a wall). The base 304 may include a
suction cup 306 that enables the base 304 to mount to consistent
surfaces. A disk 308 can be adhesively attached to an uneven
surface (e.g., a rippled car dashboard) to provide a consistent
surface for the dock. Such mounting mechanisms may be used to mount
the dock 302 to a windshield of a car so that a display on the
device is aiming toward a driver of the car, and so that the drover
may conveniently employ various applications including navigational
applications.
[0056] The base 304 connects to the docking body 310 via a rod. A
first end of the rod connects with the base 304 using a ball joint,
while a second end of the rod connects to the docking body 310 with
another ball joint. Thus, the docking body 310 may be pivoted to
face different orientations, and may rotate between landscape and
portrait orientations.
[0057] The docking body 310 includes a recessed inner portion 302
that is surrounded by a wall 312. The recessed inner portion 302
and the wall 312 are shaped to correspond to a particular model of
mobile computing device. A lower wall 312a and a retractable top
latch 316 may at least partially enclose a front surface of the
mobile device in order to constrain the mobile device to the dock
302. In some examples, the side walls 312b may not partially
enclose the front surface. In other words, the walls may not
circumferentially wrap more than half-way around a narrow portion
of the mobile device.
[0058] The car dock 302 may include a female USB jack 314 to
receive a USB cord (not shown) that supplies power, and in some
examples, data. The car dock 302 also includes speakers 318 that
radiate sound from a back side of the dock. In some examples, the
speakers play audio that has been wirelessly transmitted from a
mobile device to the dock, such as spoken turn-by-turn navigation
commands. A volume rocker switch 326 allows a user to adjust the
volume of audio that is output by the speakers 318. The car dock
302 also includes a microphone 334. The dock microphone 334 may
have acoustic qualities that are better suited for speakerphone
operation than a microphone of a mobile device that is received in
the dock. Thus, the dock 302 may wirelessly transmit, to a docked
device, an audio signal that is received using the dock microphone
334.
[0059] A first pin 332 provides a positive voltage electrical
signal to a docked device. A second pin 330 provides a reference
voltage to the device. A third pin 328 may be used for serial data
communication between the device and the dock 302. The pins 328-432
may be provided in a same spacing and orientation as the pins
306-310 of FIG. 3. In other words, the pins in both devices contact
the same portions of a mobile computing device that is moved
between the docks.
[0060] A device may be programmed to recognize the presence of
electrical power when it is physically docked and, as a result of
such recognition, to then begin a process of determining a sock
type for the dock (e.g., music dock, car dock, etc.). Where the
dock type is determined to be a music dock, a music application may
be automatically launched on the device, and a BLUETOOTH connection
made to begin passing audio from the device to the dock (where the
connection may be maintained even after the device is removed from
the dock). A similar action may occur for a car dock, but
alternatively or in addition, a navigation application may be
launched automatically and may display a map or other visual
indication of the user's current location (as determined, e.g.,
from a sensor unit on the device that includes GPS functionality)
and may receive input for a destination location, in manners
described above and below, so as to automatically begin providing
to a user turn-by-turn directions or other navigational
instructions.
[0061] In certain instances, the device may be programmed to
automatically obtain or provide certain information through the
dock or with a system that is associated with the dock, in response
to being docked. For example, when the dock is in an automobile,
the device may obtain information about the current status of the
automobile, including the current RPMs of the automobile, the gear
in which the automobile is operating, a speed of the automobile,
the status of air-conditioning and entertainment systems in the
automobile, and other information. In addition, the device may be
programmed to operate as a partial or complete head unit for an
entertainment system in the automobile (or a screen in the car can
act as a head unit for the device). For example, the automobile may
be provided only with amplifiers, speakers, and associated
hardware, but not input and output mechanisms. The mobile computing
device may serve the role of the input and output mechanisms, and
may also provide for encoding and decoding of digital music and
other such common operations. In this way, an owner of an
automobile may be able to update the interaction of their car
stereo by updating software on the mobile computing device, and may
customize the way that their entertainment system in their
automobile interacts with them. Also as the user acquires newer
mobile computing devices, the user's experience with their mobile
entertainment system in their automobile may improve. Moreover, the
user may have a preferential experience because the user interface
that they face will not be different or substantially different
between their interaction when they are at home or walking around,
as compared to when they are driving their automobile. The mobile
computing device may also act as a supplemental interface for an
interface that is part of the automobile. For example, the
automobile may provide for radio station selection and other common
actions, while the mobile computing device may provide for
selection of particular song titles or other media files that are
stored on the mobile computing device.
[0062] As yet another implementation relating to docking, separate
wired and wireless connections may be made between a mobile
computing device and a dock, or a device associated with a dock,
when the mobile computing device is physically docked. The wired
connection may be a power connection in a familiar manner, and may
be used to recharge the mobile device while it is docked. A wired
data connection could also be provided, but that data connection
will be broken if and when the mobile computing device is removed
from the dock. Thus, as an alternative to, or in addition to, the
wired data connection, a wireless data connection may be formed
automatically when the docking occurs. Such a connection may be
used to transfer files or other information between the mobile
computing device and the dock or a device associated with the dock,
even after the device has been undocked.
[0063] Thus, for example, a user may dock their portable computing
device to a music or video system, and a wireless handshaking
negotiation may occur to establish a data link between the wireless
computing device and the dock. The user may then choose to begin
playing a media file, and the media file may play through the dock
such as when the dock is a speaker system, or through a device
associated with the dock, such as a video monitor connected to the
dock, where the dock provides for television playing, recording,
and similar functions, such as personal video recorder functions.
After a time period, the user may want to take the mobile computing
device with them but continue playing the media file or files that
are stored on the mobile computing device. The user may thus undock
the device, and the data transmission may continue over the
wireless interface between the mobile computing device and the
dock. With the device undocked, the user may employ the device like
a remote control, such as by moving throughout the user's home and
changing media files, adjusting volume levels, changing rooms in
which the media will be played, or other similar actions.
[0064] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a mobile device 422 and system
420 for providing navigation information to a user of the device
422. In general, the system 420 includes software operating on the
device 422 in cooperation with software at a server system 432
executing a hosted version of a navigation application. In such an
example, the device 422 may interact with a user, and may transmit
information for various pieces of the processing to be performed on
the server system 432, such as speech-to-text conversion,
converting search queries into geographic locations such as in a
lat/long format, and serving map tile or images in coordination
with data that may permit a navigation application 430 executing on
the device 422 to interact with a user in the manners described
above and below.
[0065] In the example shown, the mobile device 422 is a smartphone.
In other implementations, the mobile device 422 can be a personal
digital assistant, a laptop computer, a net book, a camera, a wrist
watch, or another type of mobile electronic device. The mobile
device 422 includes a camera and a display screen 423 for
displaying text, images, and graphics to a user, including images
captured by the camera. In some implementations, the display screen
423 is a touch screen for receiving user input. For example, a user
contacts the display screen 423 using a finger or stylus in order
to select items displayed by the display screen 423, enter text, or
control functions of the mobile device 422. The mobile device 422
further includes one or more input devices such as a track ball 424
for receiving user input. For example, the track ball 424 can be
used to make selections, return to a home screen, to scroll through
multiple items in a group, or to control functions of the mobile
device 422. As another example, the one or more input devices
includes a click wheel for scrolling through menus and text.
[0066] The mobile device 422 includes a number of modules for
controlling functions of the mobile device 422, including modules
to control the receipt of information and triggering the providing
of navigation services to a user of the mobile device 422. The
modules can be implemented using hardware, software, or a
combination of the two. The mobile device 422 includes a display
controller 426, which may be responsible for rendering content for
presentation on the display screen 403. The display controller 426
may receive graphic-related content from a number of sources and
may determine how the content is to be provided to a user, similar
to the display manager 214 in FIG. 2B. For example, a number of
different windows for various applications 442 on the mobile device
422 may need to be displayed, and the display controller 426 may
determine which to display, which to hide, and what to display or
hide when there is overlap between various graphical objects. The
display controller 426 can include various components to provide
particular functionality for interacting with displayed components,
which may be shared across multiple applications, and may be
supplied, for example, by an operating system of the mobile device
422.
[0067] An input controller 428, which may be the same as or similar
to the input manager 212 of FOG. 2B, may be responsible for
translating commands provided by a user of mobile device 422. For
example, such commands may come from a keyboard, from touch screen
functionality of the display screen 423, from trackball 424, or
from other such sources, including dedicated buttons or soft
buttons (e.g., buttons whose functions may change over time, and
whose functions may be displayed on areas of the display screen 403
that are adjacent to the particular buttons). The input controller
428 may determine, for example, in what area of the display
commands are being received, and thus in what application being
shown on the display the commands are intended for. In addition, it
may interpret input motions on the touch screen 423 into a common
format and pass those interpreted motions (e.g., short press, long
press, flicks, and straight-line drags) to the appropriate
application. The input controller 428 may also report such inputs
to an event manager (not shown) that in turn reports them to the
appropriate modules or applications. For example, a user viewing an
options menu displayed on the display screen 423 selects one of the
options using one of the track ball 424 or touch screen
functionality of the mobile device 422. The input controller 428
receives the input and causes the mobile device 422 to perform
functions based on the input.
[0068] A variety of applications 442 may operate, generally via a
common microprocessor, on the mobile device 422. The applications
442 may take a variety of forms, such as mapping and navigation
applications, e-mail and other messaging applications, image
viewing and editing applications, video capture and editing
applications, web browser applications, music and video players,
and various applications running within a web browser or running
extensions of a web browser. In certain instances, one of the
applications, a navigation application 430, may be programmed to
communicate information to server system 432 via network 450.
[0069] A wireless interface 440 manages communication with a
wireless network, which may be a data network that also carries
voice communications. The wireless interface 440 may operate in a
familiar manner, such as according to the examples discussed below,
and may provide for communication by the mobile device 422 with
messaging services such as text messaging, e-mail, and telephone
voice mail messaging. In addition, the wireless interface 440 may
support downloads and uploads of content and computer code over the
wireless network. The wireless interface 440 may also communicate
over short-range networks, such as with other devices in the same
room as device 422, such as when results are provided to the device
422 and need to be forwarded automatically to another device in the
manners discussed above and below.
[0070] A camera controller 432 of the mobile device 422 receives
image data from the camera and controls functionality of the
camera. For example, the camera controller 432 can receive image
data for one or more images (e.g. stationary pictures or real-time
video images) from the camera and can provide the image data to the
display controller 426 and/or to one or more of the application
442.
[0071] Still referring to FIG. 4, in accordance with some
implementations, the navigation application 430 uses a GPS Unit 438
of the mobile device 422 to determine the location of the mobile
device 422. For example, the GPS Unit 438 receives signals from one
or more global positioning satellites, and can use the signals to
determine the current location of the mobile device 422. In some
implementations, rather than the GPS Unit 438, the mobile device
422 includes a module that determines a location of the mobile
device 422 using transmission tower triangulation or another method
of location identification. In some implementations, the mobile
device 422 uses location information that is determined using the
GPS Unit 438 to identify geo-coded information that is associated
with the location of the mobile device 422. In such
implementations, location information obtained or determined by the
GPS Unit 438 is provided to the navigation application 430. In some
implementations, the navigation application 430 uses the location
information to identify geo-coded data 446 stored on the mobile
device 422.
[0072] The geo-coded data 446 includes information associated with
particular geographic locations. For example, geo-coded data can
include building names, business names and information, historical
information, images, video files, and audio files associated with a
particular location. As another example, geo-coded data associated
with a location of a park may include hours for the park, the name
of the park, information on plants located within the park,
information on statues located within the park, historical
information about the park, and park rules (e.g. "no dogs
allowed"). The geo-coded information can also include map tiles or
digital images to be displayed to a user of the device 422.
[0073] The navigation application 430 can use the current location
of the mobile device 422 to identify information associated with
geographic locations that are in close proximity to the location of
the mobile device 422, such as for annotating a display of a
navigation application with information such as information for
local businesses that a user may want to visit. In some
implementations, the geo-coded data 446 is stored on a memory of
the mobile device 422, such as a hard drive, flash drive, or SD
card. In some implementations, the mobile device 422 may contain no
pre-stored geo-coded data. In some implementations, none of the
geo-coded data 446 stored on the mobile device 422 is associated
with locations within relative proximity to the current location of
the mobile device 422. The geographical information can be used in
various ways, such as passing the data to the central server system
432, so that the central server system may identify a current
location of the mobile device and thereby set that location as an
initial location, or may know which navigation to pass to the
mobile device 422 as the device moves.
[0074] The device 422 utilizes a compass unit 436, or magnetometer,
in some examples, e.g., to determine a current viewing direction of
a camera on the device 422, within the horizontal plane, of the
camera. In other words, the compass unit 436 determines a direction
in which a user of the mobile device 422 is looking with the mobile
device 420. Viewing direction information provided by the compass
unit 436 can be used if the device 422 passes an image to the
server system 432, such as for purposes of the submitting a query
to the server system 432, or for adding the image to a collage of
images at the location from multiple users. In some
implementations, the mobile device 422 further includes an
accelerometer unit 434 or a gyroscope that may be further used to
identify a user's location, movement, or other such factors.
[0075] Still referring to FIG. 4, in accordance with some
implementations, the mobile device 422 includes user data 448. The
user data 448 can include user preferences or other information
associated with a user of the mobile device 422. For example, the
user data 448 can include a number of locations that the user has
visited recently so that those locations can be suggested over
others by a navigation system (and can be added to a speech-to-text
grammar if the user input is verbal). The user data 448 may also
indicate the manner in which the user wants navigation information
displayed. For example, the user may always want to see a map view
or a satellite view, or the user may establish pre-sets so that
maps views are displayed under certain conditions and street views
are displayed under other conditions.
[0076] The navigation application 430, which may run in a browser
or be a stand-alone application, can interact with the server
system 432 in a variety of manners. For example, in collecting
spoken input from a user, the device 432 may provide a general
application in the operating system for converting spoken input to
text. The server system 432 may recognize a carrier phrase in the
input and may use that carrier phrase to select an application to
which the input was directed, and may pass an identifier for the
application (e.g., the navigation application 430 is the carrier
phrase was "navigate to") back to the device 423 along with the
rest of the input in textual form. The navigation application may
then pass the text back up to the server system 432 as a query that
can be analyzed by the server system 432 to identify, e.g., a
target for a navigation. Alternatively, the server system may
perform the text-to-speech and determine the location information
without first passing the text back to the device 422. The
navigation application 430 may then wait to receive code and other
data for interacting with the user for the navigation, such as in
the manners discussed above and below. For example, the navigation
application may receive map tiles or street-level images along with
data specifying geographic locations for those objects. The
navigation application may then use such information to generate an
interactive navigation experience for the user of the device
422.
[0077] FIGS. 5A-5D are flow charts of navigation-related processes
for performance on a smartphone or similar computing device. FIG.
5A is a flow chart of a process for generating navigational
information in response to spoken user queries. In general, the
process involves receiving user queries that may be preceded by a
carrier phrase such as "navigate to," and followed by a name of a
location or an address, or alternatively, by a query that does not
include a location name or address.
[0078] The process begins at box 502, where a search query is
received. The query may be received initially at a computing
device, and subsequently at a server system. The query may include
a carrier phrase or triggering term that identifies the type or
category of task that the user wants to have performed. For
example, as indicated above, the term may be "navigate to," "go
to," "listen to," "play," "pay" to indicate the name of a second
user who should receive a transfer of payment such as in an
electronic payment system, "send to" in order to automatically form
a message such as an electronic mail message (where subsequent
spoken terms may identify the content of the message), and the
like. The query may also be received without a preceding carrier
phrase, and may then simply be treated as a query that was intended
to be an input to a standard search engine. In such a situation, a
list of search results may be presented on a display of the device
in a normal manner. As a result, ordinary voice search may be
integrated with user-defined actions on a device.
[0079] At box 504, the triggering word or carrier phrase in the
spoken input is identified. Such identification may occur on the
mobile device or the server system, and may occur before or after
all or a portion of the spoken input is converted to text from box
506. For example, a mobile device may monitor for carrier phrases
when a user indicates affirmatively that they want such listening
(e.g., by pressing a microphone icon on a display of the device),
or may continuously monitor for spoken input while looking for a
particular carrier phrase. When the mobile device hears a carrier
phrase, it may begin saving subsequent spoken input, and when the
subsequent spoken input ends, as recognized by a pause by the
speaker, a file of the subsequent spoken input, which may be a
query from the user, may be passed to the server system. In
addition, metadata for the file may be passed with the input, and
the particular metadata that is chosen by the mobile device to be
passed, may be dependent on the particular carrier phrase that is
spoken. For example, if the carrier phrase is "pay," a financial
account identifier for a user of the device may be passed to the
server system, so that the server system can automatically carry
out the transaction. In contrast, when the carrier phrase is
"navigate to," the additional data may be a current geographic
location of the mobile computing device. The meta data may also be
used to assist in the conversion from speech to text, such as by
selecting a grammar that matches the particular speech-to-text
conversion to be performed. For example, when the carrier phrase is
"pay," words such as dollar, point, cents, and a count may be
elevated in importance in a grammar. In contrast, when the carrier
phrase is "navigate to," terms such as street, avenue, ordinal
directions, names of states and towns, and other such information
may be elevated in a grammar.
[0080] At box 508, one or more search results that are responsive
to the query may be identified, such as at the server system. For
example, a particular type of search may be performed based on the
carrier phrase that was submitted, such as a local search or a
search of a particular corpus such as a yellow pages, when the
carrier phrase is "navigate to." In certain implementations, a list
of search results may be returned by analyzing an index with the
search engines, and the search results might not themselves contain
location-related information. Thus, landing pages for the search
results or other similar document related to each of the search
results may be analyzed for geographic location-related
information, such as in manners described above (box 510).
[0081] Once information that indicates a geographical location or
address for a search result is obtained, and if the search result
is determined to be a result to which the user's query was
directed, the server system may begin gathering data for providing
driving directions to the user. In some embodiments, a
determination that an initially-identified search result is the
intended result, can be confirmed by transmitting to the mobile
device an identifier for the initially-identified result, and
waiting for user action or inaction as a confirmation that the
initial result is either right or wrong. In a particular
embodiment, user inaction after a certain time period (e.g.,
several seconds) may be interpreted as an indication that the
result is correct, and the navigation information may then be
prepared for transfer to the mobile device.
[0082] At box 512, the data for automatically generating
navigational application display on the mobile device is
transmitted. Such information is described in detail above, and can
include map tiles, digital photographic images, satellite overhead
images, plane-view images, and similar displays for turn-by-turn
driving the directions, along with additional information for the
directions. Additional information may also be included in order to
direct a navigation application in presenting the information to a
user, and in responding to input from the user and changes in the
location of the mobile device. Particular manners in which such
information may be displayed to a user, and may interact with a
user, are described in more detail above and below.
[0083] FIG. 5B is a flow chart of a process for generating
navigational information that includes street-level imaging. In
general, the process may include various of the steps discussed in
FIG. 5A, but may provide particular user interactions with respect
to street-level digital photographic images in particular areas
along the route of a navigation.
[0084] The process starts at box 520, where data is transmitted for
determining a start and end point for a trip relating to a mobile
computing device. The data may be transmitted from the mobile
device to a server, or may be generated by a subsystem in a larger
server system and transmitted to another subsystem.
[0085] At box 522, the process receives navigational information
that defines a route and images along a route. For example, a
mobile device may operate according to the process described in
FIG. 5A to receive street-level images along a route determined
between the start and at the end. The received images may arrive in
a batch of images along an entire route, and the mobile device may
store the images for later display as the user moves along the
route. Alternatively, the mobile device may call for additional
images as the user moves along the route.
[0086] At box 520, the process senses motion of the mobile device.
Such motion may be determined in familiar ways by using a GPS
module on the device, such as in manners commonly used to show
moving on a map of a mapping application or navigation service.
When such motion is sensed, images displayed along the route may be
updated for the display, at box 526, in coordination of movement of
the user along the route. For example, if a user is looking at a
map view of a route and is moving south, new tiles may need to be
obtained for display at the bottom of a display screen as the
screen pans with the user's movement. Alternatively, as a user
moves forward on a route, street-level photographs may need to be
changed to match photographs taken around the user's current
location on a route. The changing of such photographs or images may
be blended rather than sudden, so as to give the user more of a
sense of motion along the route that matches what they are
experiencing out the windows of their vehicle.
[0087] At box 528, a viewing style is changed during the trip. The
viewing style reflects an angle from which the route is being
displayed to the user, or a type of graphical object that is being
used to display the route. For example, map displays are typically
shown from directly above, as are satellite displays. Also, some
displays use drawn objects (maps or most navigation displays) while
others use photographed images (e.g., satellite and street-level
displays taken from all angles from a vehicle that previously
traveled a portion of the route).
[0088] As described above, the changes in viewing style may be
responsive to various events. In one implementation, the event may
be a change in the speed of the vehicle in which the navigational
directions are being displayed. For example, if the vehicle speed
falls below a threshold, a display style may change from a display
of drawn figures or overhead figures, to a display of street-level
figures, whether drawn or photographic images. Such a change may
occur under the assumption that a user is more interested in seeing
the faces of buildings when they are moving slowly, whereas they
are more interested in seeing a map when they are moving quickly. A
change in display style may also occur in response to a location of
a user, and in particular, the presence of the user at or near a
particular waypoint along a route or an endpoint on the route.
Thus, for example, if an important venue is located along a route,
such as a sports stadium, the view a user sees may be augmented to
show photographic street-level images of the stadium to the user as
the user approaches the stadium. Alternatively, when a user is in a
pre-determined distance of the end of a route, street-level
photographs may be shown, such as within a quarter-mile of an
endpoint, under an assumption that the user will be looking for a
particular venue that they are supposed to visit, and that they
will want to see storefronts or other identifying indications of
the target location.
[0089] FIG. 5C is a flow chart of a process for generating
navigational information that can be used by a client device. In
general, the process is similar to and can incorporate steps from
the processes discussed with respect to FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, but is
focused on the ability to obtain drawn or photographic images for a
route from a server system before such images are needed by a
mobile device, so that the images can be displayed even if the
mobile device connection to the server system is broken during a
trip.
[0090] The process begins at box 540, where a request is received
that identifies geographic locations for a navigational trip (e.g.,
start and end points). For example, a server system may receive a
query or other request such as that discussed above with respect to
FIG. 5A. At box 544, the process determines a route for the trip.
For example, a start point for the trip may be determined by a
current location of the requesting device, and an endpoint for the
trip may be determined by mechanisms as described above. A route
for the trip may be determined using various techniques for
identifying routes, and may take into account such factors as
expected roadway speeds (where freeways move at faster speeds than
local streets), and current traffic conditions, so as to provide an
easy and fast route between the two points.
[0091] At box 546, navigation data for points along the route is
generated. For example, particular geographic points may be used in
a system to identify data correlated to those points. Such data may
include data for venues such as businesses that indicated a desire
to have their information displayed on a map or navigational
application. The information may also include images, including
drawn (e.g., map tiles) or photographic representations of a
geography. Each such piece of information may be correlated to a
particular geographic point for easy recovery of the information.
Thus, for instance, a route may have points set at intervals along
the route, such as every 10 feet, and each such point may be
queried by the process here to collect the images that correspond
to each of the points along the route.
[0092] At box 548, photographic images that previously were taken
along the route may be fetched and may be delivered to the mobile
device along with associated metadata for generating a navigational
turn-by-turn display for the entire route on the device, such as on
a navigational application executing on the device. At box 550, the
navigation data and the pre-captured images are transmitted to the
mobile device. Such transmission may occur before any motion of the
device along the route has been identified by the server system.
Thus, the transfer of all the images, which may cover an entire
route or a substantial portion of the route, may be the last
transmission that is needed from the server system to the mobile
device in order to carry out the navigational job at hand. In this
manner, the process just described may provide a convenient and
portable mechanism by which to receive navigational information,
and may be employed by users who cannot afford or do not otherwise
have reliable long-range data connections, such as users who rely
on WiFi access points for network connections.
[0093] FIG. 5D is a flow chart of a process for identifying actions
for performance on a computing device using spoken carrier phrases.
In general, the process involves receiving spoken inputs,
identifying control terms or carrier phrases in those inputs, using
the carrier phrases to select a particular action to perform on
subsequent spoken inputs (e.g., words that are spoken immediately
after a carrier phrase), converting the subsequent inputs to text,
and performing the selected action or actions on the subsequent
inputs.
[0094] The process begins at box 560, where a spoken prefix or
prefixes are identified for a speech recognition system. The
prefixes may be in a list of reserved terms on a computing device,
where the reserved terms are designed to reflect particular
requests for particular actions by a user. Certain such terms are
discussed above, and are preferably selected to be terms that a
user would speak only when they want to invoke a particular action,
and not in common conversation in other contexts. Once the system
is provided with the reserved terms, it can perform particular
defined action when it hears those terms.
[0095] At box 560, the system begins monitoring voice input to
determine when the user speaks one of the carrier phrases on the
computing device. Such monitoring may be performed only upon a
explicit indication form a user that he or she would like to speak
an input, or the monitoring may be more continuous. Where the
monitoring is more continuous, various mechanisms may be used to
protect personal information that may be gathered. For example, all
monitoring may occur only on the user's local device, and
information that is monitored may be stored only for the short time
needed to determine whether a carrier phrase was spoken. Also, all
monitored information may be immediately hashed, and the hashed
information may be compared to hashed versions of carrier phrases,
so that the actual input from the user cannot be determined, except
to the extent that it can be known that the input matched a carrier
phrase.
[0096] Where a prefix in the form of a carrier phrases is
identified, the process may then store one or more terms that are
spoken after the prefix or carrier phrase. For example, the device
may begin recording as soon as a carrier phrase is identified, and
may continue recording until a pause of a predetermined duration is
made by the user.
[0097] At box 566, the spoken prefix is correlated with an action
that may be performed on the computing device. For example, the
action may include the playing of a song, the paying of an amount
of money to another user, the generation of navigation or map
information, and other examples discussed above.
[0098] At box 510, the subsequent terms spoken by the user may be
identified for performing of the action on them. Such
identification may include performing speech-to-text conversion on
the stored spoken terms that occurred at box 564. At box 570, the
process causes actions to be performed on the computing device, to
apply the identified action to the identified subject (which is
represented by the subsequently spoken words). For example, where
the action is "play" and the subject as is Lynyrd Skynyrd, the
action may be the playing of a song stored on a mobile device or a
list of songs that are identified as being sung by the band Lynyrd
Skynyrd. Other operations, where the carrier phrase acts as a verb
for an action, and subsequent spoken input by a user acts as a
subject for the action, may also be subsequently performed in
response to other spoken imports from a user. Generally, the verb
identifies an application that should be executed for the input.
The subject represents an object or other item in the system that
should be acted on by the action. Examples of such subjects include
geographic locations, artist or song names, payment recipients,
electronic mail message recipients, and other similar items.
[0099] In this manner, a user may be allowed to easily speak a
shorthand for an action into their mobile device, followed by a
parameter for the action. Carrier phrases may be selected in a
manner that is intuitive for users, so that users may readily
control their mobile devices was spoken imports and thus enable
simple hands-free operation of their devices. As a result, users of
such devices may increase their use of the devices and may enjoy
their devices more.
[0100] FIGS. 6A-6E show example screen shots of a smartphone-based
navigation application. In general, the images show particular
example user displays that may be generated by the systems
discussed here.
[0101] FIG. 6A is a display of a map having a 3D effect, with a
route along the middle of the map, on a device 602. Turn-by-turn
directions are shown in a familiar manner at the top of the
display, and an estimated time to arrival is shown in the bottom
corner along with a dot that is colored to express the upcoming
traffic situation (green, yellow, and red). Pins for various
facilities are also shown along the route. A similar display is
shown to the right, though in landscape format.
[0102] The route for the navigation may have been determined using
the techniques discussed above. The information displayed on the
device 602 may be provided to a navigation application on the
device 602 by various server systems and may be transmitted to the
device 602 from a single interface server (e.g., a web server) or
from multiple different servers. For example, the background image
may be served by a particular server sub-system, while the data for
generating the annotations (e.g., pins for restaurants and other
venues) may be generated by a separate sub-system. The navigation
application may operate to combine such information, to show a
superimposed line for the path of the trip, and to update the
display depending on the current geographic location of the device
602.
[0103] FIG. 6B is similar FIG. 6A, and shows a navigation display
in a landscape orientation on a device 604. A header indicates
visually to a user that they need to turn right in 1.4 miles, and
such instructions may be followed up with verbal, spoken
announcements in a familiar manner as the turn point nears. The
header also shows prominently the name of the street onto which the
turn is to occur. Also, an estimated time until arrival is shown in
a lower left corner of the display.
[0104] FIG. 6C shows an aerial or satellite view at a slight angle
for a 3D effect. Again, a line (superimposed with arrows) shows the
route, the display indicates that a left turn will be needed in 200
feet onto Oak street, the ETA is 21 minutes, and a green dot
indicates that coming traffic is light.
[0105] FIGS. 6D and 6E show street level views from a navigation
application on a mobile device 608. In the left view, the user is
looking forward down a street, while in the right hand image, the
point of view has rotated to the side somewhat because the
destination restaurant is to be to that side of the user. Thus, if
the navigation ends on this image, the driver can know that they
are supposed to go to the facility with outdoor dining and a
striped awning. The name of the destination venue is also displayed
to confirm for the user that they are at the right place.
[0106] In other instances, the display may show a combination of
forward and side images for a more immersive effect. In certain
implementations, one or more of the areas of a stitched-together
panorama may be distorted depending on the area that the device 610
has determined to be most important. For example, as a user gets
closer to a destination, a map view may change to a "surround"
street-level view where the images to the side are visually
compressed so that they can be sensed but not seen clearly. As the
user gets closer to her destination or as she slows down (as
determined using GPS function in the device), the front part of the
surround image may be compressed and the side images expanded. Such
a transition may be sudden (e.g., switching from one mode to the
other when the speed falls below 20 miles per hour) or gradually,
e.g., changing the focus of the surround image in a linear manner
as the user approaches the end of a trip.
[0107] In addition, although the relatively small screen size shown
in these images is small and thus limits what can be displayed with
the navigation application, other implementations may use
touch-screen tablet computers and may thus fit more information on
such larger screens. For example, an animated overhead map view may
be displayed on one side of a screen, while street-level views and
other information may be displayed on the other half
simultaneously. Other various arrangements of a display may also be
implemented, and additional information may also be displayed on a
device.
[0108] Referring now to FIG. 7, a conceptual diagram of a system
that may be used to implement the systems and methods described in
this document is illustrated. In the system, mobile computing
device 710 can wirelessly communicate with base station 740, which
can provide the mobile computing device wireless access to numerous
hosted services 760 through a network 750.
[0109] In this illustration, the mobile computing device 710 is
depicted as a handheld mobile telephone (e.g., a smartphone, or
application telephone) that includes a touchscreen display device
712 for presenting content to a user of the mobile computing device
710 and receiving touch-based user inputs. Other visual, auditory,
and tactile output components may also be provided (e.g., LED
lights, a speaker for providing tonal, voice-generated, or recorded
output, or vibrating mechanisms for tactile output), as may various
different input components (e.g., keyboard 714, physical buttons,
trackballs, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers).
[0110] Example visual output mechanism in the form of display
device 712 may take the form of a 3.7 or 4.3 inch LED or AMOLED
display with resistive or capacitive touch capabilities, for
displaying video, graphics, images, and text, and coordinating user
touch inputs locationally with the displayed information so that
user contact above a displayed item may be associated with the item
by the device 710. The mobile computing device 710 may take
alternative forms also, including as a laptop computer, a tablet or
slate computer, a personal digital assistant, an embedded system
(e.g., a car navigation system), a desktop personal computer, or a
computerized workstation.
[0111] An example mechanism for receiving user-input includes
keyboard 714, which may be a full qwerty keyboard or a traditional
keypad that includes keys for the digits `0-9`, `*`, and `#`. The
keyboard 714 receives input when a user physically contacts or
depresses a keyboard key. User manipulation of a trackball 716 or
interaction with a trackpad enables the user to supply directional
and rate of rotation information to the mobile computing device 710
(e.g., to manipulate a position of a cursor on the display device
712).
[0112] The mobile computing device 710 may be able to determine a
position of physical contact with the touchscreen display device
712 (e.g., a position of contact by a finger or a stylus). Using
the touchscreen 712, various "virtual" input mechanisms may be
produced, where a user interacts with a graphical user interface
element depicted on the touchscreen 712 by contacting the graphical
user interface element. An example of a "virtual" input mechanism
is a "software keyboard," where a keyboard is displayed on the
touchscreen and a user selects keys by pressing a region of the
touchscreen 712 that corresponds to each key.
[0113] The mobile computing device 710 may include mechanical or
touch sensitive buttons 718a-d. Additionally, the mobile computing
device may include buttons for adjusting volume output by the one
or more speakers 720, and a button for turning the mobile computing
device on or off. A microphone 722 allows the mobile computing
device 710 to convert audible sounds into an electrical signal that
may be digitally encoded and stored in computer-readable memory, or
transmitted to another computing device. The mobile computing
device 710 may also include a digital compass, an accelerometer,
proximity sensors, and ambient light sensors.
[0114] An operating system may provide an interface between the
mobile computing device's hardware (e.g., the input/output
mechanisms and a processor executing instructions retrieved from
computer-readable medium) and software. Example operating systems
include the ANDROID mobile device platform; APPLE IPHONE/MAC OS X
operating systems; MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7/WINDOWS MOBILE operating
systems; SYMBIAN operating system; RIM BLACKBERRY operating system;
PALM WEB operating system; a variety of UNIX-flavored operating
systems; or a proprietary operating system for computerized
devices. The operating system may provide a platform for the
execution of application programs that facilitate interaction
between the computing device and a user.
[0115] The mobile computing device 710 may present a graphical user
interface with the touchscreen 712. A graphical user interface is a
collection of one or more graphical interface elements and may be
static (e.g., the display appears to remain the same over a period
of time), or may be dynamic (e.g., the graphical user interface
includes graphical interface elements that animate without user
input).
[0116] A graphical interface element may be text, lines, shapes,
images, or combinations thereof. For example, a graphical interface
element may be an icon that is displayed on the desktop and the
icon's associated text. In some examples, a graphical interface
element is selectable with user-input. For example, a user may
select a graphical interface element by pressing a region of the
touchscreen that corresponds to a display of the graphical
interface element. In some examples, the user may manipulate a
trackball to highlight a single graphical interface element as
having focus. User-selection of a graphical interface element may
invoke a pre-defined action by the mobile computing device. In some
examples, selectable graphical interface elements further or
alternatively correspond to a button on the keyboard 704.
User-selection of the button may invoke the pre-defined action.
[0117] In some examples, the operating system provides a "desktop"
user interface that is displayed upon turning on the mobile
computing device 710, activating the mobile computing device 710
from a sleep state, upon "unlocking" the mobile computing device
710, or upon receiving user-selection of the "home" button 718c.
The desktop graphical interface may display several icons that,
when selected with user-input, invoke corresponding application
programs. An invoked application program may present a graphical
interface that replaces the desktop graphical interface until the
application program terminates or is hidden from view.
[0118] User-input may manipulate a sequence of mobile computing
device 710 operations. For example, a single-action user input
(e.g., a single tap of the touchscreen, swipe across the
touchscreen, contact with a button, or combination of these at a
same time) may invoke an operation that changes a display of the
user interface. Without the user-input, the user interface may not
have changed at a particular time. For example, a multi-touch user
input with the touchscreen 712 may invoke a mapping application to
"zoom-in" on a location, even though the mapping application may
have by default zoomed-in after several seconds.
[0119] The desktop graphical interface can also display "widgets."
A widget is one or more graphical interface elements that are
associated with an application program that has been executed, and
that display on the desktop content controlled by the executing
application program. A widget's application program may start with
the mobile telephone. Further, a widget may not take focus of the
full display. Instead, a widget may only "own" a small portion of
the desktop, displaying content and receiving touchscreen
user-input within the portion of the desktop.
[0120] The mobile computing device 710 may include one or more
location-identification mechanisms. A location-identification
mechanism may include a collection of hardware and software that
provides the operating system and application programs an estimate
of the mobile telephone's geographical position. A
location-identification mechanism may employ satellite-based
positioning techniques, base station transmitting antenna
identification, multiple base station triangulation, internet
access point IP location determinations, inferential identification
of a user's position based on search engine queries, and
user-supplied identification of location (e.g., by "checking in" to
a location).
[0121] The mobile computing device 710 may include other
application modules and hardware. A call handling unit may receive
an indication of an incoming telephone call and provide a user
capabilities to answer the incoming telephone call. A media player
may allow a user to listen to music or play movies that are stored
in local memory of the mobile computing device 710. The mobile
telephone 710 may include a digital camera sensor, and
corresponding image and video capture and editing software. An
internet browser may enable the user to view content from a web
page by typing in an addresses corresponding to the web page or
selecting a link to the web page.
[0122] The mobile computing device 710 may include an antenna to
wirelessly communicate information with the base station 740. The
base station 740 may be one of many base stations in a collection
of base stations (e.g., a mobile telephone cellular network) that
enables the mobile computing device 710 to maintain communication
with a network 750 as the mobile computing device is geographically
moved. The computing device 710 may alternatively or additionally
communicate with the network 750 through a Wi-Fi router or a wired
connection (e.g., Ethernet, USB, or FIREWIRE). The computing device
710 may also wirelessly communicate with other computing devices
using BLUETOOTH protocols, or may employ an ad-hoc wireless
network.
[0123] A service provider that operates the network of base
stations may connect the mobile computing device 710 to the network
750 to enable communication between the mobile computing device 710
and other computerized devices that provide services 760. Although
the services 760 may be provided over different networks (e.g., the
service provider's internal network, the Public Switched Telephone
Network, and the Internet), network 750 is illustrated as a single
network. The service provider may operate a server system 752 that
routes information packets and voice data between the mobile
computing device 710 and computing devices associated with the
services 760.
[0124] The network 750 may connect the mobile computing device 710
to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 762 in order to
establish voice or fax communication between the mobile computing
device 710 and another computing device. For example, the service
provider server system 752 may receive an indication from the PSTN
762 of an incoming call for the mobile computing device 710.
Conversely, the mobile computing device 710 may send a
communication to the service provider server system 752 initiating
a telephone call with a telephone number that is associated with a
device accessible through the PSTN 762.
[0125] The network 750 may connect the mobile computing device 710
with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service 764 that routes
voice communications over an IP network, as opposed to the PSTN.
For example, a user of the mobile computing device 710 may invoke a
VoIP application and initiate a call using the program. The service
provider server system 752 may forward voice data from the call to
a VoIP service, which may route the call over the internet to a
corresponding computing device, potentially using the PSTN for a
final leg of the connection.
[0126] An application store 766 may provide a user of the mobile
computing device 710 the ability to browse a list of remotely
stored application programs that the user may download over the
network 750 and install on the mobile computing device 710. The
application store 766 may serve as a repository of applications
developed by third-party application developers. An application
program that is installed on the mobile computing device 710 may be
able to communicate over the network 750 with server systems that
are designated for the application program. For example, a VoIP
application program may be downloaded from the Application Store
766, enabling the user to communicate with the VoIP service
764.
[0127] The mobile computing device 710 may access content on the
internet 768 through network 750. For example, a user of the mobile
computing device 710 may invoke a web browser application that
requests data from remote computing devices that are accessible at
designated universal resource locations. In various examples, some
of the services 760 are accessible over the internet.
[0128] The mobile computing device may communicate with a personal
computer 770. For example, the personal computer 770 may be the
home computer for a user of the mobile computing device 710. Thus,
the user may be able to stream media from his personal computer
770. The user may also view the file structure of his personal
computer 770, and transmit selected documents between the
computerized devices.
[0129] A voice recognition service 772 may receive voice
communication data recorded with the mobile computing device's
microphone 722, and translate the voice communication into
corresponding textual data. In some examples, the translated text
is provided to a search engine as a web query, and responsive
search engine search results are transmitted to the mobile
computing device 710.
[0130] The mobile computing device 710 may communicate with a
social network 774. The social network may include numerous
members, some of which have agreed to be related as acquaintances.
Application programs on the mobile computing device 710 may access
the social network 774 to retrieve information based on the
acquaintances of the user of the mobile computing device. For
example, an "address book" application program may retrieve
telephone numbers for the user's acquaintances. In various
examples, content may be delivered to the mobile computing device
710 based on social network distances from the user to other
members. For example, advertisement and news article content may be
selected for the user based on a level of interaction with such
content by members that are "close" to the user (e.g., members that
are "friends" or "friends of friends").
[0131] The mobile computing device 710 may access a personal set of
contacts 776 through network 750. Each contact may identify an
individual and include information about that individual (e.g., a
phone number, an email address, and a birthday). Because the set of
contacts is hosted remotely to the mobile computing device 710, the
user may access and maintain the contacts 776 across several
devices as a common set of contacts.
[0132] The mobile computing device 710 may access cloud-based
application programs 778. Cloud-computing provides application
programs (e.g., a word processor or an email program) that are
hosted remotely from the mobile computing device 710, and may be
accessed by the device 710 using a web browser or a dedicated
program. Example cloud-based application programs include GOOGLE
DOCS word processor and spreadsheet service, GOOGLE GMAIL webmail
service, and PICASA picture manager.
[0133] Mapping service 780 can provide the mobile computing device
710 with street maps, route planning information, and satellite
images. An example mapping service is GOOGLE MAPS. The mapping
service 780 may also receive queries and return location-specific
results. For example, the mobile computing device 710 may send an
estimated location of the mobile computing device and a
user-entered query for "pizza places" to the mapping service 780.
The mapping service 780 may return a street map with "markers"
superimposed on the map that identify geographical locations of
nearby "pizza places."
[0134] Turn-by-turn service 782 may provide the mobile computing
device 710 with turn-by-turn directions to a user-supplied
destination. For example, the turn-by-turn service 782 may stream
to device 710 a street-level view of an estimated location of the
device, along with data for providing audio commands and
superimposing arrows that direct a user of the device 710 to the
destination.
[0135] Various forms of streaming media 784 may be requested by the
mobile computing device 710. For example, computing device 710 may
request a stream for a pre-recorded video file, a live television
program, or a live radio program. Example services that provide
streaming media include YOUTUBE and PANDORA.
[0136] A micro-blogging service 786 may receive from the mobile
computing device 710 a user-input post that does not identify
recipients of the post. The micro-blogging service 786 may
disseminate the post to other members of the micro-blogging service
786 that agreed to subscribe to the user.
[0137] A search engine 788 may receive user-entered textual or
verbal queries from the mobile computing device 710, determine a
set of internet-accessible documents that are responsive to the
query, and provide to the device 710 information to display a list
of search results for the responsive documents. In examples where a
verbal query is received, the voice recognition service 772 may
translate the received audio into a textual query that is sent to
the search engine.
[0138] These and other services may be implemented in a server
system 790. A server system may be a combination of hardware and
software that provides a service or a set of services. For example,
a set of physically separate and networked computerized devices may
operate together as a logical server system unit to handle the
operations necessary to offer a service to hundreds of individual
computing devices.
[0139] In various implementations, operations that are performed
"in response" to another operation (e.g., a determination or an
identification) are not performed if the prior operation is
unsuccessful (e.g., if the determination was not performed).
Features in this document that are described with conditional
language may describe implementations that are optional. In some
examples, "transmitting" from a first device to a second device
includes the first device placing data into a network for receipt
by the second device, but may not include the second device
receiving the data. Conversely, "receiving" from a first device may
include receiving the data from a network, but may not include the
first device transmitting the data.
[0140] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of computing devices 800, 850 that
may be used to implement the systems and methods described in this
document, as either a client or as a server or plurality of
servers. Computing device 800 is intended to represent various
forms of digital computers, such as laptops, desktops,
workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers,
mainframes, and other appropriate computers. Computing device 850
is intended to represent various forms of mobile devices, such as
personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, smartphones, and
other similar computing devices. Additionally computing device 800
or 850 can include Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drives. The USB
flash drives may store operating systems and other applications.
The USB flash drives can include input/output components, such as a
wireless transmitter or USB connector that may be inserted into a
USB port of another computing device. The components shown here,
their connections and relationships, and their functions, are meant
to be exemplary only, and are not meant to limit implementations
described and/or claimed in this document.
[0141] Computing device 800 includes a processor 802, memory 804, a
storage device 806, a high-speed interface 808 connecting to memory
804 and high-speed expansion ports 810, and a low speed interface
812 connecting to low speed bus 814 and storage device 806. Each of
the components 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812, are interconnected
using various busses, and may be mounted on a common motherboard or
in other manners as appropriate. The processor 802 can process
instructions for execution within the computing device 800,
including instructions stored in the memory 804 or on the storage
device 806 to display graphical information for a GUI on an
external input/output device, such as display 816 coupled to high
speed interface 808. In other implementations, multiple processors
and/or multiple buses may be used, as appropriate, along with
multiple memories and types of memory. Also, multiple computing
devices 800 may be connected, with each device providing portions
of the necessary operations (e.g., as a server bank, a group of
blade servers, or a multi-processor system).
[0142] The memory 804 stores information within the computing
device 800. In one implementation, the memory 804 is a volatile
memory unit or units. In another implementation, the memory 804 is
a non-volatile memory unit or units. The memory 804 may also be
another form of computer-readable medium, such as a magnetic or
optical disk.
[0143] The storage device 806 is capable of providing mass storage
for the computing device 800. In one implementation, the storage
device 806 may be or contain a computer-readable medium, such as a
floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or
a tape device, a flash memory or other similar solid state memory
device, or an array of devices, including devices in a storage area
network or other configurations. A computer program product can be
tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer program
product may also contain instructions that, when executed, perform
one or more methods, such as those described above. The information
carrier is a computer- or machine-readable medium, such as the
memory 804, the storage device 806, or memory on processor 802.
[0144] The high speed controller 808 manages bandwidth-intensive
operations for the computing device 800, while the low speed
controller 812 manages lower bandwidth-intensive operations. Such
allocation of functions is exemplary only. In one implementation,
the high-speed controller 808 is coupled to memory 804, display 816
(e.g., through a graphics processor or accelerator), and to
high-speed expansion ports 810, which may accept various expansion
cards (not shown). In the implementation, low-speed controller 812
is coupled to storage device 806 and low-speed expansion port 814.
The low-speed expansion port, which may include various
communication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless
Ethernet) may be coupled to one or more input/output devices, such
as a keyboard, a pointing device, a scanner, or a networking device
such as a switch or router, e.g., through a network adapter.
[0145] The computing device 800 may be implemented in a number of
different forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be
implemented as a standard server 820, or multiple times in a group
of such servers. It may also be implemented as part of a rack
server system 824. In addition, it may be implemented in a personal
computer such as a laptop computer 822. Alternatively, components
from computing device 800 may be combined with other components in
a mobile device (not shown), such as device 850. Each of such
devices may contain one or more of computing device 800, 850, and
an entire system may be made up of multiple computing devices 800,
850 communicating with each other.
[0146] Computing device 850 includes a processor 852, memory 864,
an input/output device such as a display 854, a communication
interface 866, and a transceiver 868, among other components. The
device 850 may also be provided with a storage device, such as a
microdrive or other device, to provide additional storage. Each of
the components 850, 852, 864, 854, 866, and 868, are interconnected
using various buses, and several of the components may be mounted
on a common motherboard or in other manners as appropriate.
[0147] The processor 852 can execute instructions within the
computing device 850, including instructions stored in the memory
864. The processor may be implemented as a chipset of chips that
include separate and multiple analog and digital processors.
Additionally, the processor may be implemented using any of a
number of architectures. For example, the processor 410 may be a
CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computers) processor, a RISC (Reduced
Instruction Set Computer) processor, or a MISC (Minimal Instruction
Set Computer) processor. The processor may provide, for example,
for coordination of the other components of the device 850, such as
control of user interfaces, applications run by device 850, and
wireless communication by device 850.
[0148] Processor 852 may communicate with a user through control
interface 858 and display interface 856 coupled to a display 854.
The display 854 may be, for example, a TFT (Thin-Film-Transistor
Liquid Crystal Display) display or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting
Diode) display, or other appropriate display technology. The
display interface 856 may comprise appropriate circuitry for
driving the display 854 to present graphical and other information
to a user. The control interface 858 may receive commands from a
user and convert them for submission to the processor 852. In
addition, an external interface 862 may be provide in communication
with processor 852, so as to enable near area communication of
device 850 with other devices. External interface 862 may provide,
for example, for wired communication in some implementations, or
for wireless communication in other implementations, and multiple
interfaces may also be used.
[0149] The memory 864 stores information within the computing
device 850. The memory 864 can be implemented as one or more of a
computer-readable medium or media, a volatile memory unit or units,
or a non-volatile memory unit or units. Expansion memory 874 may
also be provided and connected to device 850 through expansion
interface 872, which may include, for example, a SIMM (Single In
Line Memory Module) card interface. Such expansion memory 874 may
provide extra storage space for device 850, or may also store
applications or other information for device 850. Specifically,
expansion memory 874 may include instructions to carry out or
supplement the processes described above, and may include secure
information also. Thus, for example, expansion memory 874 may be
provide as a security module for device 850, and may be programmed
with instructions that permit secure use of device 850. In
addition, secure applications may be provided via the SIMM cards,
along with additional information, such as placing identifying
information on the SIMM card in a non-hackable manner.
[0150] The memory may include, for example, flash memory and/or
NVRAM memory, as discussed below. In one implementation, a computer
program product is tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The
computer program product contains instructions that, when executed,
perform one or more methods, such as those described above. The
information carrier is a computer- or machine-readable medium, such
as the memory 864, expansion memory 874, or memory on processor 852
that may be received, for example, over transceiver 868 or external
interface 862.
[0151] Device 850 may communicate wirelessly through communication
interface 866, which may include digital signal processing
circuitry where necessary. Communication interface 866 may provide
for communications under various modes or protocols, such as GSM
voice calls, SMS, EMS, or MMS messaging, CDMA, TDMA, PDC, WCDMA,
CDMA2000, or GPRS, among others. Such communication may occur, for
example, through radio-frequency transceiver 868. In addition,
short-range communication may occur, such as using a Bluetooth,
WiFi, or other such transceiver (not shown). In addition, GPS
(Global Positioning System) receiver module 870 may provide
additional navigation- and location-related wireless data to device
850, which may be used as appropriate by applications running on
device 850.
[0152] Device 850 may also communicate audibly using audio codec
860, which may receive spoken information from a user and convert
it to usable digital information. Audio codec 860 may likewise
generate audible sound for a user, such as through a speaker, e.g.,
in a handset of device 850. Such sound may include sound from voice
telephone calls, may include recorded sound (e.g., voice messages,
music files, etc.) and may also include sound generated by
applications operating on device 850.
[0153] The computing device 850 may be implemented in a number of
different forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be
implemented as a cellular telephone 880. It may also be implemented
as part of a smartphone 882, personal digital assistant, or other
similar mobile device.
[0154] Various implementations of the systems and techniques
described here can be realized in digital electronic circuitry,
integrated circuitry, specially designed ASICs (application
specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware,
software, and/or combinations thereof. These various
implementations can include implementation in one or more computer
programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable
system including at least one programmable processor, which may be
special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and
instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a
storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output
device.
[0155] These computer programs (also known as programs, software,
software applications or code) include machine instructions for a
programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-level
procedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or in
assembly/machine language. As used herein, the terms
"machine-readable medium" "computer-readable medium" refers to any
computer program product, apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic
discs, optical disks, memory, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs))
used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable
processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives
machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term
"machine-readable signal" refers to any signal used to provide
machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor.
[0156] To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and
techniques described here can be implemented on a computer having a
display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid
crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user
and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a trackball)
by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of
devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well;
for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of
sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or
tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any
form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.
[0157] The systems and techniques described here can be implemented
in a computing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as
a data server), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an
application server), or that includes a front end component (e.g.,
a client computer having a graphical user interface or a Web
browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of
the systems and techniques described here), or any combination of
such back end, middleware, or front end components. The components
of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of
digital data communication (e.g., a communication network).
Examples of communication networks include a local area network
("LAN"), a wide area network ("WAN"), peer-to-peer networks (having
ad-hoc or static members), grid computing infrastructures, and the
Internet.
[0158] The computing system can include clients and servers. A
client and server are generally remote from each other and
typically interact through a communication network. The
relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer
programs running on the respective computers and having a
client-server relationship to each other.
[0159] Although a few implementations have been described in detail
above, other modifications are possible. Moreover, other mechanisms
for performing the systems and methods described in this document
may be used. In addition, the logic flows depicted in the figures
do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to
achieve desirable results. Other steps may be provided, or steps
may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components
may be added to, or removed from, the described systems.
Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the
following claims.
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